by Dennis Elder
“You’ll learn to shoot, ride a bike, stand watch, follow orders,” said Mark.
“Like in the army,” said Nancy.
“Just like in the army,” countered Mark. He recognized Nancy’s insubordinate attitude. He’d seen plenty of new army recruits with it during boot camps.
“And I suppose you’re the commanding officer,” asked Nancy, as he kept her eyes glued to Mark’s.
“That is correct,” said Mark with confidence. “And you’ll take and follow any orders any of my men give you if you want to remain a part of this group.”
Nancy didn’t like the idea of being told what to do. What fourteen year old ever did. But she also could see that her odds of survival would be much better if she hooked up with these people.
“Then you can count me in, sir,” offered Nancy as she stood and offered her hand to Mark. The major stood and reached to shake her hand. “And I can follow orders.”
Billy stood next and did the same. “I’m in too.”
Then Patti stood. She walked around the fire to shake the Major’s hand.
I’d also be grateful if you’d let me join your group,” offered Patti.
There were smiles all around and most of the women and girls stood and embraced their new recruits. Then Billy added one more question.
“But what about the guys at the barricade in St. George. How we gonna get around them.”
There was another brief silence. Then Mark spoke.
“We won’t go around them,” said Mark in a calculating tone. “Of course, we’ll give them a chance to let us pass peacefully,” continued the Major. “But if they wanna fight, we’ll cut through them like a blow torch through butter.”
Chapter 155:
Ivan awoke as the sun crept up his sleeping bag and fell his face. The alcohol from the previous evening had helped him sleep though the entire night. Unfortunately, he had slept so well that it was now nine am in the morning. That was three hours later than he planned to get the men up and moving.
The big Russian swore to himself in his mother country language. When he tied to stand, he stumbled to one knee. That prompted several other unique Russian swear words. Finally he stumbled out of his room and out into the dim motel hallway. The men were spread out in rooms all long the first floor. Beaver and Harold heard Ivan’s door open and came out with guns in their hands. Ivan saw his two self-proclaimed Boy Scouts and shouted orders.
“We have overslept,” bellowed Ivan. “Wake the men immediately. We leave in fifteen minutes.
Beaver and Harold exchanged worried looks. The men would never be ready in fifteen minutes, even without breakfast. But both scouts knew not to cross Ivan.
But Beaver asked anyway. “Want to feed um?” asked Beaver.
Ivan was breathing hard. Waking suddenly and realizing he’d lost three hours on the chase to capture the women was overly frustrating. He was thinking about the lost time and weighing the cost of not eating against the strenuous exercise that lay before them this day. Slowly he began to get control of his temper before responding.
“Yes,” said Ivan. “We must eat before we ride. But have men prepared as soon as possible. We will have to ride hard to make up some of this lost time,” finished Ivan as he glanced at his watch again and then passed back into his motel room.
Beaver and Harold looked at each other and then began banging on doors. Beaver took the doors to the South and Harold moved North.
“Wake up you good for nothing bums,” shouted Beaver. “We leave in 30 minutes.”
“Everybody up and cooking,” added Harold. “The boss says were late. We slept too long. Let’s go, let’s go, let’s go!”
Slowly men woke in their rooms and began to pull on clothing. Within a few minutes their camp stoves were hot and suddenly freeze-dried scrambled eggs became the day’s breakfast of champions.
Chapter 153: I’m afraid I have to insist
Mark knew the group would be walking all the way to St. George today. The three new recruits, Billy, Patti and Nancy did not have bicycles yet. They didn’t have the right travel gear or weapons either. They’d fix that in St. George.
The group had risen just before dawn, eaten a good breakfast and then began the long walk before them. Walking wasn’t nearly as strenuous as riding. So, it gave the group an opportunity to talk.
Patti walked close to Mary. They talked about Patti’s parents and how she had discovered their bodies. Nancy found herself bracketed by Connie and Caroline. They talked mostly about the things they missed the most: school, showers, hamburgers, and boys. Billy hung close to Mark and Frank. He asked them a lot of questions about weapons and what it had been like on the road.
They took a break around noon and cooked up some lunch. Everybody was certainly tired and so they took advantage of the clear weather by lying down and enjoying the warm sun’s rays on their faces.
It was just after 1600 hours or 3 pm, when they finally sighted the barricade running across both sides of I-15. Those with scopes checked out the defenses. After a few minutes Mark gathered in everyone and explained what was going to happen.
“My hope is they will see reason and let us pass,” began the Major.
“And if they don’t,” asked Billy.
“Well, let’s just hope I can convince them,” replied Mark. “We have no interest in hurting anyone if it can be helped.
Mark turned to Jake.
“Jake,” said Mark.
“Sir,” Jake responded.
Mark looked to the West and spotted a high elevation hill perpendicular to their position. He pointed to it.
“Take the TAC and work your way up that hill on the West where you can get a clear shot at our adversaries,” said Mark. “Take the radio. If anyone tries to fire on me, shoot their weapon out of their hands. If I get hit, take out any obvious threats.”
“Roger that,” said Jake as he headed back to his bike trailer and pulled out the fifty caliber sniper rifle. Jacob started after Jake but the senior scout put up his hand.
“You stay here and follow the Major’s orders,” said Jake as he checked the big guns magazine.
“But I can help,” offered Jacob, wanting to stay by the side of his mentor and friend.
“I know you can help,” but remember what we talked about, about following orders even when it’s not what we want.
Jakes words were hard to hear. But Jacob remembered his earlier promise to follow orders no matter what.
“OK,” said Jake, backing off. “But be careful.”
Jake smiled at his protégée, shouldered the rifle and turned to the West.
“Always,” replied Jake, as he trotted off toward the hill.
Mark told the women, kids and teenagers to all find a spot to the side of the road where they’d be out of the line of any gunfire. The teenager boys all grumbled a bit, but Jacob set them straight.
“Come on you bums,” said Jacob. “Orders is orders.” Then Jacob began walking to the East side of the road and soon after the other teenagers followed him. Kevin and the women were already moving in that direction.
Mark then called his regulars around him. They had lost Junior and Boon and were down to seven ex-army rangers now.
“Frank, and Doc will go up the West side along the ditch to within a hundred and fifty yards of the barricade. Sam, Randy, and Tyrone and will do the same on the East site. Spread yourself out a little. Don’t give ‘um much to shoot at,” ordered the Major.
“And you’re going to walk down the middle of the road,” said Doc, out loud.
Mark gave Doc that look that everyone hated and then continued.
“What, I’ll keep my hands in the air,” said Mark with a smile.
“You know regulations required that as second in command,” began Frank. “That I should be the one taking the chances, not you, Major.”
“I’m not taking any chances,” replied Mark.
“Ah huh,” countered Tyrone as he shifted a well-worn toothpick from one s
ide of his mouth to the other.
“I’ll be fine,” said Mark.
“How do you figure,” asked Sam.
“Cause the finest soldiers on what’s left of God’s green earth got my back,” replied Mark.
“Anything else?” asked Doc.
“Yep,” said Mark as he hefted up the bullet proof vest a from his trailer and began slipping it on. “Nothing like a little added protection, just in case.”
Five minutes later the two teams were in place on both sides of the road. Mark could see that the people at the barricade were aware of their presence. The longer he waited to make his case the more likely somebody over there might start shooting. He lifted his radio and depressed the send switch.
“You in place, Jake?” asked Mark, as the radio hissed.
A moment of static was heard before Jake replied.
“Locked and loaded,” said Jake. “Anything in particular you want me to pay attention to.”
“Just keep um honest, unless I call for it,” replied Mark.
“Roger that,” replied Jake. “I’ll keep my radio on.”
“10-4,” responded Mark.
The Major then shouldered his Bushmaster and walked forward. He raised his hands above his head when he got within about a hundred yard of the barricade and stopped when he was about 75 yards away. Mark held his radio in his right hand. A tall man behind the barricade pointed a shotgun directly at the Major.
“That’s far enough,” barked shotgun man.
“Understood,” replied Mark, keeping his hands high in the air.
“You and your people can turn around now,” said shotgun man. “You can go back to where ever you came from.” The man was obviously nervous. He knew there were other guns pointed at his little barricade.
“I’m afraid we can’t do that, friend,” said Mark. “Me and my people…”
But shotgun man cut him off.
“Ain’t nobody comin through here,” shouted shotgun man. “Nobody! You hear me?”
Mark didn’t reply right away. He hoped the silence would bring a degree of calmness to the situation. He kept his hands above his head.
“I understand your hesitancy to let strangers into your town,” said Mark in a loud but unemotional tone. “But we just want to pass through.”
“Don’t care what you want,” shouted back shotgun man, pumping a shell into his gun’s chamber. “Nobody comes through here, nobody!”
“I’m afraid I have to insist,” argued Mark, keeping and even tone.
Shotgun man couldn’t believe what that man standing in front of him just said. He smiled nervously.
“How’s that again?” asked shotgun man.
“We plan to come through here whether you agree or not,” said Mark, as he slipped his index finger over the radio’s send button.
“Fraid not mister,” shouted shotgun man, as he sighted his Remington pump action shotgun at Mark. “Now hightail it out of here before I blow you away!”
Mark took a deep breath. He’d hoped he could reason with the man. Then he depressed the radio’s send button.
“Jake,” said Mark in quieter tone. “Relieve that man of his weapon.”
Shotgun man gripped his stock firmly and slipped his finger inside the trigger guard. But then, suddenly, his precious eight hundred and fifty six dollar Remington was gone. It was like something yanked it out of his hands. The fifty caliber bullet struck the gun’s wooden stock and splintered the gun into three pieces. The shock of the hit also spun shotgun man around and down to his knees, in one violent move. A split second later everyone behind the barricade heard the boom of the big fifty-caliber sniper rifle.
Mark let the silence sink in a second or two before his spoke.
“That my friends,” shouted Mark. “Is the sound of a fifty caliber sniper rifle.
“Shit,” screamed shotgun man as he found himself on his knees and staring at his favorite and now useless gun. “You wrecked my shotgun!”
“You gave us no choice,” emphasized Mark.
The other guards behind the barricade were all caught off guard. Each person shifted nervously and searched the horizon to see where the sniper fire came from.
“And I’m afraid we’re prepared to wreck a lot more than just your guns, if you get my drift!” shouted Mark. This time he didn’t keep an even tone. He was deliberately loud and direct.
Shotgun man was still in shock. He’d never been in combat and nobody had every shot at him. He was still on his knees and just could not stand up.
“My men are all very efficient marksmen, and they have powerful automatic weapons trained on each of your positions,” continued Mark. “If any of you decide to fire a single shot, they will return until everyone of you are dead. Their bullets are designed to easily penetrate your wooden barricade, and you.”
One of the other men standing close to shotgun looked down at their collapsed leader, still down on his knees behind the barricade.
“What do we do,” shouted one of the other men at the barricade. The man was asking Shotgun man for directions. “What are we supposed to do?”
But shotgun man was still in shock. He just kept staring at his destroyed Remington.
Then the other man looked out at Mark while licking his lips. Mark recognized this new man’s hesitancy as the opportunity he’d hoped for.
“All you have to do is put your guns on the ground,” said Mark in an even tone again. “Then my people will pass though. Nobody is going to harm you or your people. When we’re all safe and past your barricade, you can pick up your guns again.”
The other man slowly realized he was probably in charge now. The others behind the barricade were looking to him to respond to Mark’s question. Five seconds later he lowered his rifle. Everyone else standing behind the barricade, relieved that the showdown was over, set their guns on the ground and backed away from the barricade. Then each of them raised their hands above their heads.
After Mark’s group passed through the barricade, Frank and Randy stayed behind with their guns ready just to make sure the barricade locals didn’t get any funny ideas. The major made the people throw their guns into the ditch on the West side of the road. He told them they could retrieve their weapons once after the last of the Marauders were 500 yards North of the Barricade. Lastly, he warned them all that there might be another group coming North and that they wouldn’t be near as friendly as his group had been.
Chapter 154: I will distract them
It was 3:30 in the afternoon when Ivan and his remaining thirty six ex-gangsters all heard Jake’s fifty caliber sniper rifle bounce and echo off the walls of the virgin river canyon. After the shot, they pulled over to listen for more shots. But that was the only sound they heard.
“It must be the women,” shouted Ivan. “We must ride fast now.”
So, the men picked up the pace a bit.
It was near dark when they came on to a barricade built across the freeway. They had been riding extra hard, hoping the women were close ahead. Beaver was at the head of the column. But when he saw armed people behind the wall, he instinctively pulled to a stop, as did the column behind him. Ivan continued to impatiently ride forward. Once he saw the barricade he stopped next to Beaver. He squinted to get a better look at the barricade ahead. Beaver reached for the binoculars he had in his pack and handed them to Ivan. The Russian took them with his left hand without even looking at Beaver and scanned the road ahead.
The binoculars helped him make out the details. There were fifteen men and boys standing behind the wall. Each of them was armed. A taller man at the middle of the flimsy barricade was holding his own pair of binoculars and in turn was watching Ivan and his men.
Ivan dropped the binoculars and handed them back to Beaver.
“What you want to do boss?” asked Beaver.
Ivan looked over the ground ahead of him. He didn’t see much cover between their present position and the barricade ahead. From what he could see he guessed the men beh
ind the barricade probably wouldn’t last long in a real fight.
“They looked like a bunch of accountants and some teenagers,” mumbled Ivan, just loud enough for Beaver to hear. Harold came forward with his rifle at the ready.
Ivan was pretty sure most of them would run after the first shots were fired. He could just bull his way through the barricade. He had twice as many men and guns. But he also needed to preserve his men to make sure he had enough firepower when they challenged the other group for the women.
“Both of you take half of men down to ditch on the left and other half down right side. When you get close enough for good shot, begin shooting them until they all run or die.
